Carpe Tenebrum

***Conceived in the arid deserts of Australia and recorded across the globe in Norway—Carpe Tenebrum’s debut release Majestic Nothingness is undoubtedly a forgotten gem of 90s black metal. Carpe Tenebrum was formed as the solo project by Lord Kaos guitarist Jamie “Astennu” Stinson in early 1994. While Lord Kaos shopped their debut album Thorns of Impurity to record labels, Astennu left for Norway with nothing but his guitar. Once there, he would stay with Head Not Found Records / Slayer Mag founder Metalion and begin recording Majestic Nothingness at the legendary Creative Studios (birthplace of Mayhem’s Deathcrush and the first two Darkthrone black metal albums). The album itself would end up being guitar centric—perfectly spotlighting Astennu’s virtuosic abilities and songwriting prowess. The vocals were supplied by Nagash of Troll and Covenant (the latter of which Astennu would join shortly after the release of this album). While many black metal bands in the late 90s hid their half hearted riffs and regurgitated lyrics with layers of keyboards and vocal effects, Carpe Tenebrum dove fearlessly into chaotic darkness—dragging the listener with them on their respiteless journey. Eerie and sulphuric black metal recorded in 1995 at Creative Studios in Norway (Mayhem/Darkthrone). For fans of early Covenant, Ragnarok and Emperor.